As is described in detail in co-pending U.S. Pat. No. 5,570,885, issued Nov. 5, 1996, integration of a side bet capability into conventional betting games adds a totally new dimension to such games which, among other advantages includes the capability of providing a larger selection of possible bets as well as significantly increasing the interest of each game played and the newly created relationship of a consecutive number of wins as a result of the selected side bet which increases the interest of all players at a table, even though some of the players have not chosen to make such a side bet. The nature of the side bet also acts as an inducement to continue play at a given table or slot machine, if the relevant casino requires the player to make the conventional bet before the side bet is allowed. The relevant casino has either option. This patent also discloses electronic apparatus for calculating and displaying the payoff of a side bet chosen by a player and continuous monitoring of each game played and identifying either a payout or a non-payout status.
Casinos have historically recognized a need to identify the betting volume of a table player, and the return to the casino from the player's action, in order to understand the true value of the table player so that the casino may either reward, ignore or defense the relevant player. Table players historically have been frustrated by the inability of casinos to accurately measure their play. Casinos have devoted countless hours attempting to visually track non-skilled players for marketing purposes as well as skilled players, who hold a statistical advantage over the casino.
Tracking the betting volume as well as the win/loss results of slot players and slot machines has been available for many years. The player generally inserts a magnetically encoded card in the machine in order to identify himself. The electronic nature of the machine enables information to be collected and then transmitted to an electronic interface for further analysis. The same electronic nature enables the machine to receive information via an electronic interface for control and interactive (progressive) betting purposes.
Historically tracking table game numbers has been difficult because the table games were non-electronic, layout (felt) games. Casinos estimated table game returns and table game volume by recording chips purchased at a table with cash (table drop), credit given to players by exchanging chips for markers, chip transfers to and from the cage as well as the starting chip tray and of course, the counting of cash in the drop box at the end of a given day or shift. The accounting procedures accounted for a profit/loss per table as well as profit/loss per slot machine once drop box cash was counted. But the cash count of drop boxes together with the aforementioned accounting procedures could not produce a reconciliation of profit/loss. Table game volume was never available because of the inability to determine and record the amount of each bet wagered, due to the lack of any electronics available at table games.
Historically the betting volume of an individual player is estimated by averaging the amount of a player's first bet, the relevant table's minimum bet, the player's largest bet and the player's smallest bet. Pit personnel spend a significant amount of time inaccurately tracking the player's action in order to determine the player's value.
Therefore, there has been a need to measure accurately total betting volume and win/loss numbers at each table betting station, at each table and for each identified player. There has also been a need to analyze and understand the aforementioned numbers on a current basis before the shift or day's accounting reflects profit and loss numbers.